Desperate Measures
by meridian-rose
Summary: Set during 'Extinction'. Zedd is delayed returning to Richard and with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Richard is willing to use desperate measures to save Darken's life.


**Prompts**: Angst bingo prompt: poison 100 Tales Prompt: despair

**Summary**: Set during 'Extinction'. Zedd is delayed returning to Richard and with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Richard is willing to use desperate measures to save Darken's life.

**Beta:** hrhrionastar, with my thanks; any remaining errors are my own responsibility

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><p>Where, for the Creator's sake, Richard wondered with increasing panic, was Zedd?<p>

He was kneeling at Darken's side, watching his half-brother die. This wasn't the cause for celebration he might have expected given that it was his destiny to kill Darken Rahl.

Because killing Rahl would save the world. Because destroying Rahl would defeat the Keeper. Because there was a prophecy, because Darken was evil, because, because...

People had given Richard plenty of reasons for Darken to die. Now there was one that made Richard long for him to live.

Even when he'd been killed the first time around, Darken wouldn't stay dead. His resurrection had brought a whole new set of problems for Richard. Right now, resurrected Darken - in a body he'd practically stolen from his double - was more valuable alive. If he died now he would take the vital knowledge regarding the Stone of Tears with him to his grave - and, more importantly, to the Keeper.

Richard couldn't let that happen. Find the Stone, repair the Veil, save the world. The next chapter in his great destiny. Yet without the secret from the scroll that Darken had destroyed, Richard could not succeed. And now a stray dacra from a Sister of the Dark threatened everything.

It was rather ironic that the women serving the Keeper had struck at the man who so recently was their comrade, their superior in the ranks of those serving Him. Richard was in no mood for irony.

Richard had bound what he thought was a shallow wound, but the laceration on Darken's upper arm had festered and red veined tendrils of infection now marred the surrounding flesh, an outward sign of the infection coursing through his bloodstream. The poison or magic or magical poison – Richard wasn't clear on the details - had tainted Darken's blood.

There was nothing Richard could do but wait for Zedd, and pray that Darken could hold out long enough for the wizard to return.

"Rahl," he begged.

He put one hand on his brother's forehead and with the other, checked for a pulse with trembling fingers. Darken lived, barely. Where was Zedd?

Even at death's door, there was a self-satisfied smirk on Darken's face. He wouldn't be smiling when he fell into the Keeper's embrace, Richard thought uncharitably. Darken had served the Keeper for many years before turning his back on the Underworld tyrant and trying to find a way to redeem himself. Richard was fairly certain that destroying all but one nightwisp had put Darken further into the Creator's bad books, and that nothing short of repairing the Veil would save his soul.

"Rahl," Richard said again. He looked around desperately for Zedd.

Not so long ago, Richard had cradled his brother Michael in his arms as he died - also trying to redeem himself. He wondered now if that was what would always happen to people close to him: the cost of knowing the Seeker. Would Zedd fall trying to protect him? Might Kahlan meet her death while he, Richard, lived on with the guilt and the pain? Cara would not hesitate to lay down her life for her Lord Rahl; it wasn't a comforting thought.

Darken stopped breathing.

Richard's own heart skipped a beat in panic.

They'd lost everything. It was too late for Zedd to save Darken now. Without Cara here, it was all over. Had the Mord'Sith been with them and not with Kahlan, trying to save the last nightwisp, she could have revived Darken using the Breath of Life, a gift bestowed upon all Mord'Sith for their service to Lord Rahl. It was one of the reasons Kahlan had allowed Cara to join them in the first place, that the Breath of Life might save her, or Richard, if they were killed fighting the forces of evil.

"No," Richard wailed. "Please, no." He sat back on his heels, overwhelmed with despair.

A thought occurred to him, piercing his anguish. Richard hated to acknowledge it, but he was a Rahl too. He'd been trained by Denna and he, like Darken, could hold an agiel with impunity. Could he also bequeath the magical skills to a trainee Mord'Sith—the ability to deflect magic, the gift of the Breath of Life? And if he could, did that mean that he himself had these abilities within him?

There was no harm in trying, Richard thought. The only problem was that he didn't exactly know how the Breath worked. He bent his head and opened his mouth near to Darken's parted lips. He willed life to flow from his lips; he tried to call up the power of his Han, hoping that some residue of his power remained within his body.

It didn't work.

Richard swallowed back his doubts. He was the Seeker, and he was not going to let the world of the living fall. He took a deep breath and leant over once more, this time pressing his lips directly to Darken's. He forced air from his own lungs into Darken's unresponsive body.

"Come on," Richard cried, when this too failed. He repeated the procedure. Darken's chest rose with Richard's exhalation, but when Richard sat back expectantly, Darken still do not take a second breath of his own accord.

In desperation, Richard shook the limp form. "You're not allowed to die," he howled. "Rahl, please. _Darken_." The given name felt odd on his tongue. He placed one palm over Darken's chest but could find no heartbeat. His fingers curled into a fist of their own accord and Richard found himself raining angry blows onto Darken's body.

Hot bitter tears welled up in Richard's eyes, and he blinked to clear his vision.

"Please," he begged, to anyone who would listen. He took one more deep breath and again pressed his mouth to Darken's, willing his brother to live with every fibre of his being. Richard only lifted his lips when he too was desperate for air to continue.

Darken coughed. Richard drew back.

"Rahl?" Richard asked, hardly daring to hope that he had saved Darken.

Darken's eyelids fluttered. "Richard."

Richard heaved a sigh of relief. He glanced to the west where he could just make out the lanky form of Zedd heading towards them, Renn in tow.

"Zedd will be here in a moment," Richard said. "He can heal you."

Darken forced his eyes open. "I saw the Keeper," he said.

"Did you tell him where the Stone is?" Richard demanded.

"No. I was in the midst of trying to bargain with Him when I was revived." Darken lifted himself up onto one elbow. "Where's Cara?"

"Not back yet."

Darken's brows quirked in puzzlement. "Then how did you bring me back?"

Richard shrugged helplessly. "I think I used the Breath of Life."

Darken stared at him. "You are a Rahl," he conceded at last.

Richard looked away. Zedd finally reached them and Richard pointed one finger at Darken. "He's wounded."

While Zedd worked his healing magic, Darken making biting comments the entire time, Richard walked away. He needed some space, some time to think. He'd prevented Darken from selling them out to the Keeper but that victory was soured both by the knowledge that Darken would live on and most probably commit further atrocities, and by the renewed certainty that the same Rahl blood ran in his own veins.

"I will never be like him," Richard swore under his breath. Yet between prophecy, bloodlines, and magic, he was beginning to think his destiny had never, nor would ever be, in his own hands.


End file.
